This gorgeous, little cake is so delicious you would never know it is healthier. I say this because I made it for my Dad’s friend’s birthday and I didn’t tell him that it was grain-free and refined sugar-free, but he still thoroughly enjoyed it! He’s not the type to like “healthy” desserts, but he couldn’t even tell that it was! This cake doesn’t taste healthy, it tastes like a sophisticated, European, not-too-sweet dessert. The texture is slightly spongy, it had a subtle almond flavor, and had a delicious chocolate whipped cream frosting. The cake itself is paleo and the frosting is made with only cream, chocolate chips, and salt! The only sugar in the whole thing is honey and whatever sweetener is in your chocolate chips.
You could even have this cake for breakfast! I mean it is healthier than donuts… It has carbohydrates, fats, and protein, which makes it the perfect balanced meal if you ask me! I believe that having dessert for breakfast once in a while, is good for anybody’s soul :). I hope all you sugar lovers (that might’ve had too much sugar over Easter) will continue to make your sweet tooth happy by trying out this delicious, healthier cake!
This post contains affiliate links to some of my very favorite ingredients. This way it is easy for you to find the ingredients I used at the best price I’ve found. If you click on any of them and purchase anything from Amazon, I will receive a very small percentage of the sale, to support what I do here. Thank you!
The brand of almond flour I use is linked here but I usually get it from Costco.
Lily’s sugar and dairy free dark chocolate chips are linked here.
The 6 inch cake pans I use are linked here!
“Healthy” Almond Sponge Cake (grain and refined sugar free)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- ½ cup potato starch tapioca starch will probably work just as well
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ tsps almond extract
- ⅓ cup almond milk
- 4 large eggs yolks and whites carefully separated
- ¾ cup honey
Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips (Lily’s Chocolate and Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Baking Gems are really great healthier options. The link to the Hu chocolate is right above the recipe card)
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Grease three 6 inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of each pan with a circle of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 C).
- In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt together. Add the coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, 4 egg yolks, milk, and only ½ cup of honey and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining ¼ cup of honey and continue whipping until a medium stiff-peaked meringue forms. Add half of the meringue to the batter and carefully fold it in with a spatula, being careful not to deflate much air. Add the rest of the meringue and carefully fold it in the same way until there are no white meringue streaks in the batter. Pour the batter into the 3 cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- In a glass bowl, heat the chocolate and only ¼ cup cream in the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave, add the salt, and let it sit for 30 seconds. Whisk the mixture well until there are no chocolate lumps. Let this cool for about 10 minutes at room temperature.
- After about 10 minutes, start whipping the cream using a stand/hand mixer. Once the cream starts to look frothy, pour in the chocolate mixture and continue whipping until a thick whipped cream forms, then stop immediately (or else it might turn into butter). It’s okay if there are some chunky bits of chocolate. DO NOT mix until smooth, just until a whipped cream forms.
Assembly:
- Carefully remove the cake layers from their pans and remove the parchment circles. Place one layer on a plate (set on top of a turntable if you have one) or anything you would like to serve the cake on. Spread a relatively thin layer of frosting on top. Carefully place the 2nd cake layer on top of the frosted one. Spread frosting on top of this layer, the same way as the first layer. Place the final cake layer on top.
- Spread a very thin layer of frosting on the sides of the cake. Spread the rest of the frosting on top of the cake, making rustic swoops and swirls in the frosting using a frosting spatula. Top the cake with strawberries and blackberries if you wish. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes, to ensure the frosting holds the cake together. Remove from the fridge, regardless if you are gonna eat it right away (so that the cake doesn’t become cold and dense). When you’re ready, slice, serve, and enjoy!
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